Chapter 154: Hunger for Power
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The vast land stretched endlessly, cloaked in perpetual darkness. At times, one might wonder if the entire world had sunk into an enormous abyss, forever shrouded by the Night Fog. The Six Rulers Ancestor Court stood like a solitary candle flickering in the wind, its faint glow trembling on the distant horizon.
The group of youths riding on the back of the White Peacock gazed ahead with awe. The sight of the looming mountain gates filled their hearts with hope, a beacon of their dreams to rise to greatness. Beside them, Zhou Tao, his temples streaked with gray, watched intently. His eyes glimmered faintly with gold as he covertly transmitted his thoughts to Qin Ming through a secret technique.
“Your ability to extract the medicinal essence from extraordinary bloodlines is remarkable,” Zhou Tao said. “Let me calculate your potential value.”
Qin Ming was surprised. In the Six Rulers Ancestor Court, potential wasn’t measured in conventional terms like weight but rather in an abstract value called “potential points.”
He was careful not to reveal too much. It wasn’t Zhou Tao he feared but the possibility that an enigmatic elder of the Ancestor Court might detain him for meticulous “study.”
“What are these drifting leaves?” a youth asked in confusion before his face turned to astonishment.
The group was soaring high above the ground, cutting through clouds and fog, so how could leaves be falling around them? Yet, the sky was filled with them—some vibrant with a green glow and bursting with life, while others were dry and yellowed, exuding an air of autumn’s chill and decay.
The leaves swirled, cascading like a dying rain from the canopy of the night sky.
Before the youths could fully react, the White Peacock and Black Crane began descending rapidly. Both had sensed the anomaly long before the others.
Zhou Tao, glowing brightly, his eyes like golden lanterns, pierced the fog with his gaze, looking directly into the night sky.
A rope, as if descending from the heavens, hurtled toward the White Peacock, aiming to ensnare it and drag it away.
The White Peacock’s strength far exceeded expectations. With a surge of radiant white light, it increased its speed dramatically, dodging the rope with ease and heading straight for the Six Rulers’ mountain gate, descending further as it flew.
The glowing green leaves and the dry, yellow ones began to tremble. They spun rapidly, emitting dazzling light as they swirled toward the two massive avians, intent on trapping them.
At the same time, Zhou Tao struck. With a wave of his hand, the Six Rulers Force erupted, flooding the air with light and shattering the airborne leaves in a deafening explosion.
The rope descending from the sky rippled like a living serpent, unleashing bursts of lightning. When it collided with Zhou Tao, it nearly knocked him off the White Peacock’s back.
The youths turned pale, their faces frozen in fear as they realized the rope was nothing more than a coarse grass cord, crudely woven. Yet, with each gentle sway, it unleashed torrents of lightning and thunder, a terrifying display of power.
“Roar!” Zhou Tao unleashed the Tiger Roar Skill, his cry resonating through the air. His vital energy surged as he activated the Six Rulers Force, halting the grass cord midair. “Who dares to make a move here?” he bellowed, his voice both a challenge and a call for aid to the Ancestor Court.
He was certain the attacker had to be a powerful elder. Otherwise, even a rare treasure like this grass cord would have been obliterated under his strike. As an elder of the Six Rulers Ancestor Court, Zhou Tao had unshakable confidence that his mastery of the Six Rulers Force could destroy any treasure or artifact of equal level.
For a moment, the air rang with the cries of the White Peacock and Black Crane, their calls shaking the heavens.
The grass cord surged with lightning, and Zhou Tao’s protective armor shattered instantly, crumbling into ash. He froze in terror, realizing he had just barely escaped death. The shattered armor had been imbued with a life-saving charm that had activated in his stead, sparing him.
Thinking him defeated, the grass cord drifted toward the White Peacock’s neck, aiming to bind it and capture everyone in one swift motion.
Meanwhile, the glowing green and dry yellow leaves disintegrated, transforming into swirling streams of yin and yang energy that spiraled toward the White Peacock, seeking to suppress it.
Suddenly, the night sky erupted with light.
The White Peacock unleashed a dazzling display of five-colored divine radiance, tearing through the night, illuminating the world. The burst of light repelled the grass cord and kept the yin and yang energies at bay.
At the same time, it used the radiant light to shield Zhou Tao and the youths on its back.
“Hmm, I was mistaken—it’s an old bird, not a young one!” came a voice from the sky.
A shadowy figure appeared within the thick fog above, standing atop a strange avian creature. The silhouette was faint but unmistakable—a figure clad in black stood atop the back of an aberrant bird.
“Enough. You dare trespass near the Ancestor Court of my sect?” came another voice, cold and tinged with anger.
From the fog emerged a small, fiery-red aberrant bird, its back no larger than a tabletop. Despite its size, it carried a man at astonishing speed. The middle-aged man on its back exuded an ethereal aura, his flowing robes surrounded by mist, radiating an air of transcendence.
“If you don’t leave your life behind, do you truly think the Six Rulers are defenseless?” he said calmly, his words rippling with murderous intent that disrupted the night sky and tore through the fog.
The fiery-red bird, carrying the middle-aged man, shot into the night. Around him, six streams of energy surged like a storm, shaking the heavens.
With a thunderous crash, a flash of lightning tore the sky. His punch obliterated the grass cord, shattering it into countless pieces. Without hesitation, the man pursued the attacker.
“If this is an attachment, then leave behind the essence of your spirit!” he demanded in a chilling voice.
Within the Ancestor Court, several ancient figures silently stepped into the night, merging with the darkness. Clearly, there was more than one challenger.
“Did you see that? If the Six Rulers Force is mastered, even the strongest of the Secret Sect or the most formidable beings of the Beyond can be crushed. And I’m not even fully trained yet,” Zhou Tao said, using the moment to uplift the youths’ spirits and instill confidence in the Ancestor Court’s techniques.
The surging Night Fog soon obscured the fiery-red bird and the middle-aged man. Only faint flashes of light in the far distance pierced the darkness.
When the group finally entered the mountain gates on the White Peacock’s back, a distant, bloodcurdling scream echoed through the night.
Zhou Tao exhaled deeply, his tension releasing in a visible cloud of relief. “That battle ended swiftly, didn’t it? Just like that—so ferocious. In an instant, the attacker was slapped into pulp. It was glorious, blood raining from the sky!”
Although Zhou Tao had only caught glimpses of the fight, his tone was triumphant. The group of youths around him, however, could only imagine the scene. They were too far to witness the finale, but their hearts thudded with excitement. The sheer power of the Six Rulers Heart Sutra left them in awe and filled them with anticipation.
Zhuo Ya frowned slightly. Her parents were members of the Secret Sect and figures of some repute. She was well aware of the current turbulent state of affairs. The once-glorious Six Rulers Sect had long been in decline, and whispers abounded that its days might be numbered. Could it truly rise again?
Qin Ming was silent, his thoughts a storm of uncertainty. What he had glimpsed was the brilliance of the Fire Spring’s glow, but beyond the gates lay a darkness soaked in blood. The Six Rulers Ancestor Court stood amidst towering peaks, grand yet serene. Some mountains were veiled in soft white mist, their summits adorned with sprawling jade palaces. Others featured cascading Fire Spring waterfalls, their cliffs home to ancient spiritual trees shimmering with seven-colored light.
Though it was no longer in its prime, the Ancestor Court bustled with activity. Students trained diligently in every corner, giving the sect a vibrant energy.
“After traveling forty thousand miles, you must all be exhausted,” Zhou Tao said. “Rest for the night. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the Dao Comprehension Grounds.” With that, he hurried off, leaving much to report and arrange.
The group of youths settled into the Golden Forest, each returning to their wooden cabins.
Late into the night, Tai Luo woke abruptly from the deepest layers of sleep, a sense of unease gripping him. He thought he saw a hunched old man with only a few strands of hair drifting past his window. Uneasy, Tai Luo sat up, wondering if he’d caught the attention of some ominous figure.
He had performed exceptionally well in the Shenzhang Plains. Could that have stirred trouble?
Qin Ming, too, found himself restless. He considered returning to Red Glow City to seek counsel from Meng Xing Hai. The sect’s intricacies were unfamiliar to him, and he worried about potential pitfalls.
The next morning, after breakfast, excitement buzzed among the group. They were about to receive early instruction in a profound technique.
The Ancestor Court covered an expansive area, its terrain diverse. Zhou Tao led them to a barren stone mountain region, a landscape of sheer cliffs and caves. The group dispersed, each heading to their assigned zones, leaving Qin Ming, Zhuo Ya, Cao Wu Ji, and Cui Chong Xuan behind.
“In light of your exceptional performances,” Zhou Tao said with a smile, his eyes rimmed with exhaustion, “you’re being granted a special opportunity to select a rare technique.”
Even Zhuo Ya and Cui Chong Xuan, accustomed to privilege, were momentarily stunned. To offer such techniques outright—it was an incredibly generous gesture.
Cao Wu Ji, however, was beside himself with excitement. Of the four, he was the most eager for a powerful technique. Clapping his chest, he declared, “I’m staying in the Ancestor Court! No more trials with other sects for me.”
His decision was instantaneous. Thoughts of the ethereal Lu Yu Zhi from the Yuqing Sect, who had once seemed untouchably divine, faded into irrelevance.
Qin Ming, too, was deeply moved. Even in its decline, the Ancestor Court’s grandeur was undeniable. To openly offer them access to such techniques spoke volumes of its heritage.
Then he saw the list—and nearly cried.
A golden-haired elder, Zhou Shi Ze himself, presented them with a scroll detailing the available techniques. The names alone left Qin Ming reeling. He wanted to learn them all.
The golden-haired elder smiled warmly at Qin Ming, nodding approvingly. Qin Ming also noticed several elderly figures passing by, each stealing a glance at the group of four.
“Is that The Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Sutra?” Cui Chong Xuan exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. The rarity of this text was almost mythical—even the prestigious Cui family hadn’t managed to acquire it.
Zhou Tao chuckled. “Stay calm. It’s only a fragment, but even so, it’s equivalent to a rare technique.”
“This is the first part of The Withering and Flourishing Sutra!” Cao Wu Ji’s voice trembled with excitement. To him, the chance to choose from such legendary texts was unimaginable.
Zhou Tao nodded. “Correct. This top-tier technique is part of our sect’s collection. If you master the first section, the complete text will naturally follow.”
“I’ll take it!” Cao Wu Ji declared without hesitation. Though he had never accessed such high-level texts before, he’d heard enough about their reputations. The Withering and Flourishing Sutra was renowned for its mastery over the wood element and its integration of yin and yang, making it one of the strongest techniques.
“Well chosen,” Zhou Shi Ze praised. “In conjunction with the Six Rulers Force, this technique is indispensable.”
Zhuo Ya chose a technique called The Light Sutra, which aligned with the domain mastered by the Young Ancestor. Zhou Tao nodded approvingly. “Indeed, it shares the same lineage. It’s the foundation of my own rise, as my family descends from the Young Ancestor’s line.”
Qin Ming, however, found himself paralyzed by indecision. Every technique was exceptional, and the more he read, the more he wanted to learn them all. Finally, his gaze landed on The River Network Sutra. Its description, though modest, promised profound utility and mastery over water—a rare domain among the listed techniques.
“That’s an excellent choice,” Zhou Shi Ze said warmly. “Its potential is immeasurable. And once you master it, you’ll be able to advance to its successor text, The Ocean Overturning Sutra.”
The elder seemed overly enthusiastic, even helping Qin Ming analyze its merits. At one point, he looked as if he might pat Qin Ming on the head, leaving the boy feeling both honored and bewildered.
The four aberrants were then guided to separate areas. Nearby, streams from the Fire Spring trickled brightly, illuminating their surroundings.
As Qin Ming approached his designated stone cave, he noticed a youth strolling nearby. The boy paused when he saw Qin Ming, scrutinizing him closely.
“You’re odd,” the boy remarked.
Qin Ming greeted him with a smile, noting the youth’s striking features. Though dressed in plain robes, his refined aura was undeniable. The youth stepped closer, his gaze sharp.
“You’re odd too,” Qin Ming replied.
“What’s odd about me?” the boy asked, puzzled.
“You’re prematurely gray, aren’t you? Your roots are white—you’ve dyed it,” Qin Ming observed casually.
The youth raised a hand as if to retort, but let it fall. “And do you know what’s odd about yourself?”